With the death just yesterday of Heath Ledger of what they think might be an overdose of sleeping medications, I thought of my experience with a drug they said he had been taking in the past… Ambien.
I used to have a terrible time falling asleep, many times I would just give up and watch TV until I was exhausted….
Then one day after mentioning this problem to my Doctor she prescribed Ambien. I did some research and found out that it is a safe sleeping pill and not considered addicting, since it is not a narcotic, but you have to be know that you will be able to devote at least 7 or 8 hours to sleep and not wake up any earlier or else you will be groggy for the rest of the day…That is exactly what happened to me the first time I took it.
I fell right to sleep which was a blessing on the first night and had an uneventful but restful sleep but, the second night I tried it, after sleeping for about 6 hours, I got an unexpected call very early the next morning from my daughter who needed me to come to her house and take care of her children for a few hours since she had to go into work earlier than expected for some sort of emergency. I had to drive all the way to Ft. Lauderdale …this is an hour drive for me and I felt very disorientated and uneasy driving…Thankfully, I arrived safely, but felt very strange the entire morning…I hated the way I felt but, I didn’t have any of the other reactions they say you can have, no headache, no shortness of breath or allergic symptoms…though I was a little dizzy. Once those initial feelings of wooziness and dizziness wore off I did feel better but just not perfect…I was able to get home that afternoon with no apparent problems
That was it, I never tried it again, I just didn’t like the way I felt…especially when I read that it can affect your memory and at my age that certainly is not a good thing…It is also said the a person can sleepwalk under the influence of Ambien and not even know it…that, it me, would be a dreadful thing.. Who knows where you would end up?
I do have a friend who swears by Ambien when she travels to Europe…she told me she takes a pill just at boarding time, then sleeps the entire trip and wakes up at her destination without Jetlag…I guess you don’t have to worry about sleepwalking on a plane when you are strapped in, but it doesn’t sound like a good idea to me…they also say not to drink any alcohol in combination with this drug… that sounds like a good idea,
Ambien is not for long term use either, just for 7 or 10 days, so what happens at the end of that time I would like to know? Some people do get dependent on the drug also when their doctor prescribes for more than a week or two. I read that many people go to the internet to buy the drug. Who knows what the quality of that drug would be.
No, it certainly seems like a bad remedy and one I would avoid…I will tell you a secret, I discovered which has helped me sleep, and that is a mild tranquilizer….what used to keep me awake was the stress I felt about not sleeping, so when that happens a ½ of a tranquilizer takes that worry about not sleeping away and I sleep very well…I’m not saying to do this on a regular basis but only when you really need it…other wise a nice hot bath and good soothing book works wonders..But, not a book that is over stimulating!
It’s a terrible shame what happened to Heath Ledger, such a young man at only 28 years old, with his whole life in front of him, if nothing else, I hope a lesson is learned by those who might abuse or depend on such a potent drug.
